St. Thomas, ON

A COMMUNITY COMMITTED TO ACCESSIBILITY

Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2001 (ODA)

The purpose of the ODA is to improve opportunities for people with disabilities and to provide for their involvement in the identification, removal and prevention of barriers to their full participation in the life of the Province of Ontario.

Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA)

The purpose of the AODA is to achieve a fully accessible Ontario by 2025. The AODA is made up of five standards including: Customer Service, Information and Communication, Employment, Transportation, and the Built Environment.

Accessibility Technical Committee (ATC)

The Accessibility Technical Committee consists of six members from various departments in the City. The Committee works with MAAC toward the improvement of accessibiilty issues in the City and reports directly to the CAO/Clerk. Committee members meet regularly to discuss issues, provide updated information on accessibility initiatives and suggestions to the CAO/Clerk. A representative attends MAAC meetings each month.

Committee Members
Graham Dart, Director, Human Resources (Chairman)
Melanie Knapp, Administrative Clerk (Secretary)
Leon Bach, Chief Building Official
Dave White, Supervisor, Roads and Transportation
Rudi Denham, Chief Librarian

Municipal Accessibility Advisory Committee (MAAC)

Municipalities of 10,000 or more residents are required to establish or continue an Accessibility Committee. This Committee advises Council about the preparation, implementation and effectiveness of its accessibility plan.

Committee Members for St. Thomas
Alderman Gord Campbell
Ed McLachlan, Chair
Lesley Buchanan
David L. McNea
Donald Shaw
Catherine Topping
Joan Rymal
Garrett Smith

2012 City of St. Thomas Municipal Accessibility Plan

The Accessibility Plan is intended to address existing barriers to people with disabilities and to prevent new barriers from being established.

2012 Municipal Accessibility Plan

Accessibility Standards - Customer Service

The Accessibility Standards for Customer Service (Ontario Regulation 429/07) came into force on January 1, 2008. As a public service organization designated in the Regulation, the City must comply with the standards by January 1, 2010. The Regulation outlines activities that the City must do in order to ensure that the City is providing accessible customer service to people with various kinds of disabilities.

Documents produced by City employees are available upon request, subject to the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

When providing a document to a person with a disability, the City will provide the document, or the information contained in the document, in a format that takes the person's disability into account.

City of St. Thomas Accessibility Standards for Customer Service

Feedback Form

Complaint/Suggestion Form

Business Compliance with Accessibility Standards

Training required for City suppliers of Goods & Services

Businesses and individuals that the City of St. Thomas has contracted to provide goods or services to customers must ensure that their employees are trained on providing accessible customer service. This includes construction workers, consultants and more. In general, any person or organization that does business with the City of St. Thomas should receive training. There are many training resources available that can be used at no charge.

Accessibility Contact

Melanie Knapp, CAO/Clerk's Department

545 Talbot Street, St. Thomas, ON N5P 3V7

Phone: (519) 631-1680 ext. 4122

Email: mknapp@city.st-thomas.on.ca